Dupilumab improves atopic dermatitis symptoms, quality of life in older adults

Key takeaways:

• Dupilumab, with or without topical steroids, improved atopic dermatitis symptoms and quality of life in adults aged 60 years or older.
• No new safety events were observed.

Dupilumab was associated with improved clinical, safety and quality of life parameters in older patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, according to findings from a post-hoc analysis of four studies.

In the analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, Jonathan I. Silverberg, MD, of The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and colleagues aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of dupilumab (Dupixent, Sanofi/Regeneron) in patients aged 60 years or older who participated in the LIBERTY AD SOLO 1 and 2, LIBERTY AD CAFÉ, and LIBERTY AD CHRONOS randomized, placebo-controlled trials. Overall, there were 183 patients aged 60 years or older and 2,261 aged younger than 60 years.

The treatment regimens included dupilumab at 300 mg every week or every 2 weeks, or placebo with or without topical corticosteroids.

“Dupilumab rapidly and significantly improved AD signs and symptoms compared with placebo, with comparable efficacy across age groups,” the authors wrote.

At week 16, in the older age group, 39.7% of patients treated with dupilumab weekly and 44.4% of those treated every 2 weeks reached an Investigator's Global Assessment score of 0 or 1, which was significantly greater than the 7.1% of patients treated with placebo who reached this outcome (both comparisons, P < .0001).

Similarly, at both dupilumab dosing rates in the older age group, a 75% improvement in Eczema Area and Severity Index was statistically significantly greater than in the placebo group (P < .0001). Safety findings in the older age group were generally consistent with those in the younger age group and with the known dupilumab safety profile, according to the study.